Penetration Resistant Material

ABSTRACT

A penetration resistant material can comprise a plurality of layers of loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric coupled between inner and outer layers of cloth fabric.

BACKGROUND

Personal armor such as a bullet-proof or bullet-resistant vest facilitates absorption of impact from projections fired from firearms such as handguns or shotguns, or shrapnel and small fragments from explosions such as emitted by hand grenades.

Modern body armor may combine a bullet-proof vest with other items of protective clothing, such as a combat helmet. Vests for police and military use may also include shoulder and side protection armor components. For bomb disposal usage, heavy armor and helmets with face visors and spine protection can be used.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of a penetration resistant material can comprise a plurality of layers of loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric coupled between inner and outer layers of cloth fabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention relating to both structure and method of operation may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic pictorial diagram illustrating an embodiment of a penetration resistant material;

FIG. 2 is a schematic pictorial diagram showing an embodiment of a penetration resistant material formed into a vest; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic pictorial diagram showing an embodiment of a penetration resistant material formed into a vest which includes an inner fabric layer formed of a cool fabric.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of a penetration resistant material can be used in protective garments for protection of military personnel, prison guards, Border Patrol officers and agents, police, and the like, to protect against attack by knife, shiv, hand gun, grenade, Improvised Explosive Device (IED), and the like.

An example embodiment of a penetration resistant material can comprise a plurality of layers of loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric coupled between inner and outer layers of cloth fabric.

In some embodiments, a suitable ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric is Kevlar which is manufactured and sold by DuPont Corporation of Delaware.

In some embodiments, a suitable cloth fabric can be a 100% synthetic blend or synthetic blends combined with cotton or other natural fibers.

In particular embodiments, a suitable cloth fabric can be Cordura, made available by Invista, a subsidiary of Koch Industries.

Referring to FIG. 1, a specific embodiment of a penetration resistant material 100 can comprise multiple layers 102, for example 12 to 14 layers of Kevlar held between inner 104 and outer 106 layers of a commercial or military fabric, such as Cordura or other fabric, to form a garment which is resistant to spike, knife, shiv, 9 mm bullet, grenade, IED or other sharp items. The material can resist penetration trough the layers of Kevlar fabric from objects which cause serious life-threatening or harmful injuries.

Other penetration resistant material embodiments can include other numbers of Kevlar layers to produce desired protection while maintaining light-weight characteristics. The number of Kevlar layers can be selected to suit a particular penetration resistance goal. Additional layers of Kevlar fabric provide increasingly enhanced protection.

The multiple layers of loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric coupled between inner and outer layers of cloth fabric can be held together with stitching at a distance suitably separated to maintain a loosely-interconnected arrangement.

The layered fabric is laid in strata-like leaves of one layer on top of each underlying layer of stab resistant material like Kevlar, forming multiple layers of fabric. The layered Kevlar and/or other stab or ballistic resistant layered leaves can be sewn at “stress” points, similar to a normal shirt seam with double, triple, quadruple, or more stitching thread as may be required due to stress positions of the multiple layers of fabric.

The stab and/or ballistic layers may include zippers, Velcro, slippery material such as Teflon or other similar treated fabric.

The stab and/or ballistic resistant layers are drawn tight at the seams, but are maintained as separate layers of fabric. Bonding or laminating should not be used, since sharp objects are more capable of penetration bonded or laminated Kevlar or similar material. The “vest” may use an overlay flap of layered material, at the seams of a zipper, Velcro or other closure if it is determined to have weak points.

A Velcro strap can be sewn at the wrist, neck, waist, ankles, groin or other area to secure the stab/ballistic resistant fabric unit to wearer.

The number of layers of fabric may be increased or decreased to provide the desired level of protection the mission requires.

Additional layers of fabric may be laid at critical body areas, such as vital organ locations to provide additional protection for the wearer.

A highly suitable configuration can include panels of fabric which covers the chest, back, torso sides, groin and legs including major blood transfer arteries in the body and neck.

In an example embodiment, stitching in two dimensions can be specified to be greater than one-half inch in each dimension to maintain loose interconnection. Other embodiments can have any suitable spacing between stitching lines.

The penetration resistant material can help protect military personnel and police from injury from sharp items. The loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric, for example Kevlar, can be combined in multiple layers for protection against sharp items or ballistics. More layers can be added where additional protection is desired.

The layers of Kevlar are encased between an outer layer of fabric and an inner layer of fabric which can be positioned next to a user's body. The outer fabric layer and the inner fabric layer can be constructed of the same material or different materials, as desired. The outer and inner fabric layers can each be single layers of material or can include multiple layers. If any of the inner and outer layers include multiple layers, inner and outer layers may have the same or different numbers of layers. The Kevlar fabric is not laminated or bonded together so that the multiple sheets of Kevlar operate to reduce the damage from sharp objects penetrating into the body.

The penetration resistant material can be formed into shirts, pants, mid-body protective gear, helmet liners, and other configurations which may be attacked or damaged by sharp objects. As shown in FIG. 2, a vest 210 can be constructed from penetration resistant material 200.

In various embodiments, the penetration resistant material can be formed into a configuration such as a vest, a shirt, a coat, pants, mid-body protective gear, and a helmet liner.

The penetration resistant material formed of multiple layers of fabric can result in an uncomfortable elevation in temperature to a user. Thus, in some embodiments, the inner fabric layer can be formed of a cooling material. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the inner fabric layer can comprise a tubing configured to circulate a liquid. The penetration resistant material can further comprise a Peltier device with a solar or battery powered pump to circulate the liquid.

In some embodiments, the inner fabric layer can comprise a cool fabric including an internal tubing enclosed within two or more fabric layers. In some embodiments, the two or more fabric layers can be formed from a nano-fabric with interlacing pieces of material. The inner fabric layer can be sealed with waterproofing such as vinyl material or a chemical waterproofing agent. As shown in FIG. 3, a vest 310 can be constructed from penetration resistant material 300 including an inner fabric layer with tubing 312 that can include a liquid inlet 314 and liquid outlet 316 connectors which connect to a pump 318 (a Peltier device, for example) to circulate the liquid through channel formed by the tubing.

The liquid pumping through the fabric can saturate the fabric in some embodiments, thus cooling the wearer.

In some embodiments, the fabric can be configured to artificially create channels, for example the texture of the fabric can include elevations and ridges so that two sheets of the fabric bonded together can form channels for carrying the cooling liquid.

A nano-structured fabric can be formed which includes such artificially created channels.

In example embodiments, a liquid recirculation system can include channels in the fabric, a pump (such as a Peltier device), a power source such as a battery 320 for powering the pump. Some embodiments can include a solar-powered battery.

The cool fabric can be formed into any suitable article of clothing or garment, such as a shirt or jacket, a vest, pants, a cap, and the like.

Terms “substantially”, “essentially”, or “approximately”, that may be used herein, relate to an industry-accepted variability to the corresponding term. Such an industry-accepted variability ranges from less than one percent to twenty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, materials, shapes, sizes, functionality, values, process variations, and the like. The term “coupled”, as may be used herein, includes direct coupling and indirect coupling via another component or element where, for indirect coupling, the intervening component or element does not modify the operation. Inferred coupling, for example where one element is coupled to another element by inference, includes direct and indirect coupling between two elements in the same manner as “coupled”.

The illustrative pictorial diagrams depict structures and process actions in a manufacturing process. Although the particular examples illustrate specific structures and process acts, many alternative implementations are possible and commonly made by simple design choice. Manufacturing actions may be executed in different order from the specific description herein, based on considerations of function, purpose, conformance to standard, legacy structure, and the like.

While the present disclosure describes various embodiments, these embodiments are to be understood as illustrative and do not limit the claim scope. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements of the described embodiments are possible. For example, those having ordinary skill in the art will readily implement the steps necessary to provide the structures and methods disclosed herein, and will understand that the process parameters, materials, shapes, and dimensions are given by way of example only. The parameters, materials, and dimensions can be varied to achieve the desired structure as well as modifications, which are within the scope of the claims. Variations and modifications of the embodiments disclosed herein may also be made while remaining within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A penetration resistant material comprising: inner and outer layers of cloth fabric; and a plurality of layers of loosely-interconnected, mutually nonbonded and non-laminated sheets of ballistic para-aramid synthetic fabric coupled between the inner and outer layers of cloth fabric.
 2. The penetration resistant material according to claim 1 further comprising: 12 to 14 layers of Kevlar held between a commercial or military fabric, such as Cordura.
 3. The penetration resistant material according to claim 1 further comprising: a configuration selected from a group consisting of a vest, a shirt, a coat, pants, mid-body protective gear, and helmet liners formed of the penetration resistant material.
 4. The penetration resistant material according to claim 1 further comprising: the inner fabric layer comprising a tubing configured to circulate a liquid; a Peltier device; and a solar or battery powered pump coupled to the Peltier device and coupled to the tubing to circulate the liquid. 